Covering everything from customer service relationships to analytics to ecommerce, SaaS serves as a vector to offer dozens of different types of services to thousands of brands in need.
With some ten thousand SaaS companies operating in the US and more springing up every year, this is an exciting time working in the “software as a service” sector.
What works well for one brand may not work for another, but ultimately the best ways to garner new customers for your SaaS company come down to these five top tips.
1. Hone Your Social Media Presence
Perhaps it’s not surprising that the first tip for SaaS brands is to make sure that they’re using social media platforms effectively.
After all, dozens of SaaS companies out there that center on brand management via social media. Content management systems are in themselves one of the most sought-after forms of software as a service. There’s a reason for that: interaction on social media is one of the most effective ways to attract customers and grow a business.
To promote a business, you have to go where the people are — and that means social media.
But it’s not just a case of ensuring that your brand is searchable — although that’s important since consumers follow and engage with official brand accounts. It’s also a case of building a social media presence that is relatable, appealing, and which builds up your brand personality.
Doing this right also means that you’re more likely to retain the interest of your potential customers. Statistics suggest that after an initial engagement on social media, most consumers will continue to seek out engagement with the brand, with 91 percent visiting the website and 89 percent purchasing a product or service after following the brand on social media.
So what is “doing it right”?
- Post content regularly.
- Interact with your followers by responding quickly and positively to comments.
- Increase engagement by asking for user-created content, running giveaways, offering deals for new customers who like and follow.
- Demonstrate the value of your services in the lives of your customers.
- Focus on entertaining, educational, or appealing content over straight advertising.
2. Design Attractive Brand Visuals
One thing that you want to make sure of to help win customers: a great first impression.
Image: unsplash.com
It’s important to remember that not only does no one get a second chance at a first impression (as the old adage goes), but a first impression doesn’t take long to be formed, either. The research suggests different stretches of time that we have to work with, but whether it’s a tenth of a second or seven seconds, it really isn’t very long at all.
So it’s vital to make sure that the design of your visual branding is immediately appealing to your potential customers.
Not only should your design be nice to look at and draw the eye, it should be easy to comprehend — you want your audience to understand what your SaaS company is all about.
The details of the design will vary depending on the individual company, but here are a few sub-tips:
Make sure your company logo fits the brand personality, and shows up well against different backgrounds.
Create a style guide for your branding and follow it for a whole-cloth approach.
Don’t blindly follow design trends. You want your visuals to be unique.
Harmonize your website branding with your logo and other marketing materials so that the site is easily identifiable as belonging to your company.
Pay attention to the psychology of color since certain colors are more likely to draw the eye and motivate your viewer to become a customer.
3. Create Helpful Content
To convince someone to take the step from the interested party to the active customer, it’s necessary to illustrate what’s in it for them. Of course, with a SaaS brand, as with any other type of company, you must know your target audience and how your services will suit them.
Sometimes, a demonstration is what it takes.
That doesn’t mean that you have to hand out free trials of your services — though you may well choose to do that.
Another potentially more effective way to demonstrate value to your audience is to provide helpful content that positions your brand as an expert in the field.
Blogs are an excellent way to do this. They provide content that drives traffic to your site, boosts SEO rankings, promotes shareability, and serves as a consistent branding opportunity.
Another way is to host a webinar, which has the added marketing boost of introducing scarcity into the mix and further establishing you as an expert who truly adds value to your customers with the benefit of your knowledge.
4. Set Up A Referral Program
One of the most effective ways to get new customers is to make sure that your existing customers are happy with your services — and that they tell others about it.
Happy customers are the goal for most of us anyhow, but it really works out best for everyone involved when they’re happy vocal customers.
Image: Unsplash
But they may not think about bragging on your SaaS on their own. They may need a little reminder and perhaps even an incentive.
That’s where a referral program comes in. The possibilities are nearly endless, but a favorite way is to provide incentives not only to the existing customer, but also to every new person they refer.
For example, give your existing client ten dollars off your service for every new person who signs up with their referral link; and give those new referrals the same deal.
The more your customers refer, the more they get. The more they get, the happier they are. The happier they are, the more they refer. It’s a fantastic plan to make everybody happy all the time, even though we’re often told that it’s impossible to do so.
5. Solve Their Problem
The final tip for winning customers over to your SaaS brand: identify their problem or pain spots and solve them.
There really is no better way to win and keep a customer than to deliver exactly what you promise. SaaS companies cover such a wide variety of areas that the pain spot for your target audience may be entirely different from others. Maybe they aren’t even aware that they have a problem yet.
The best thing you can do, as the power behind your SaaS brand, is to point it out — and offer the solution at the same time.
SaaS For The Future
With automation on the rise, SaaS isn’t going anywhere. We may have to contend with some competition, but there’s always a need for what we have to offer. By following these five tips, you can win your customers over to your SaaS brand — and keep them, too.